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Sunday, April 29, 2012

ATZ Campaign, Day 1: Outbreak, Part Three

Previously:
Having failed to reach home, Robb heads for a local store to stock up on supplies, only to be confronted time and time again with groups of panic-stricken civilians. The store proves to be the worst, as an angry mob tramples him to the ground. Things take a turn for the worse, however, as three zombies begin to close in on his position...

The panicked mob proves they have just cause.

Turn 15: Robb 4, Zombies 4

With a guttural moan, the zombies closed in on two of the fleeing shoppers from the store. One of the men, wielding a knife he had snatched from the store's shelves, found himself confronted by two of the shambling dead. The other, a bald scientist from the local university, found his way down the street blocked by another. The two zombies proved too much for the fellow with the knife and top hat, and dragged him screaming to the ground. The other zombie made quick work of the professor and settled in to gnawing his flesh in the middle of of the street.

"My God!" said Robb, "what the hell is going on!" He could barely keep from passing out as he saw the two people who just moments ago had been running from the store be borne down by three of the living dead. With a cry of terror, he ran back towards the store, ducking behind the building in hopes that the zombies hadn't noticed him.

I left two civilians on the table in a desperate hope that they might give Robb the chance to at least make it to the house. To manage that, I needed for him to win an activation roll, which didn't happen. The zombies normally get 1 die in melee, but I figured that because the civilians were unarmed they got a bonus die from having the higher impact attacks. That means that the first civilians had to spread his two die between the four that the zombies would be attacking him with. He managed to tie the first zombie with 0d6, but failed against the second who beat him 2d6 to 1d6, and he went Out of the Fight.

The second civilian was also beat by 1d6 and went down as well. At this point I needed to see how long the "feast" would last: 2 turns for the pair of zombies, 4 for the other. At least one zombie was out of action, but I needed to act quickly to get away.

First, though, I had to roll to see Robb's reaction to "Seeing the Feast." I rolled two sixes, meaning I passed 0d6! That's bad, and means he retired back towards the building behind him. Now I had to rally him in two turns.

Turn 16: Robb 4, Zombies 6

Turn 17: Robb 6, Zombies 2 (zombies continue eating)

Turn 18: Robb 1, Zombies 3

Robb's breath came in great heaving gasps as he remained ducked behind the building. He realized he could no longer hear the grisly sounds of the pair eating the one fellow. Listening with all his concentration, he could hear the faint steps of the zombies growing closer.

Damn! I finally get an activation, and rolled another two 6's on my rally attempt. Now the zombies are just inches away.

The zombies draw closer to our not-so-heroic hero.

Turn 19: Robb 1, Zombies 5

Turn 20: Robb 3, Zombies 2

"It's now or never," thought Robb as he grit his teeth and spun around the corner. He barreled into the first zombie, but his punch merely rebounded off the decaying flesh. The zombie grabbed him with surprising swiftness and sank its yellowed teeth into his neck.

I guess it's "never," Robb thought as he felt the darkness close in around him.

On turn 19 I finally managed to rally from being hunkered down. Now for some difficult decision making. I could attempt to attack the first zombie with my full dice, then see if the activation rolls would allow me to move onto the second on the next turn, or at least on his own activation.

I had Robb charge the first zombie, who rolled one success (two dice), to my own one success (1 rolled a 1, 1, and a 4). I didn't take him out, and now we're locked in combat.

On the zombies' activation the second closes in, and I had to split the die between the two. With only one die to the first zombie's two, I failed by 1d6 and that was it for our hero.